


A Love Reborn

by WinterSorceress



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Reincarnation, Suicidal Thoughts, Very slight don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 07:58:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13677528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterSorceress/pseuds/WinterSorceress
Summary: It had been only natural, Zenyatta knew. No one could live forever, at least no human. So many had already gone before him, commanders and comrades, friends and acquaintances alike. It was only fate that his beloved would eventually follow.Yet, there was only so much loss one soul could take.(Reincarnation Fic)





	A Love Reborn

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short commission for [New-Recipe](http://new-recipe.tumblr.com/)

Even now, it all felt like a bad dream. A week after he lost him, he still couldn’t help but feel, _hope_ , that he would wake in his arms, and hear that warm voice. He supposed he was in shock, too much so to grieve.

After all, how could he? How could he accept that the love of his life was no longer of this world? It had seemed like only yesterday that they were exchanging their vows, promising to cherish each other for eternity.

Yet, Genji had left him behind.

It had been only natural, Zenyatta knew. No one could live forever, at least no human. So many had already gone before him, commanders and comrades, friends and acquaintances alike. It was only fate that his beloved would eventually follow.

But, Zenyatta was still here, now heartbroken and lost; this final loved one was the final straw.

Without him, after all these years, his will at last threatened to fail. How could he possibly hope to carry on, or even attempt to start over? Yet, despite his anguish, despite everything, joining Genji in death was just another thing he couldn't bring himself to do. His husband wouldn't have wanted such a fate for him, such a weight knowing his light had extinguished himself on his behalf. He could already envision the further pain it would bring, to both the living and dearly departed.

Instead, Zenyatta did the only thing he _could_ do. Returning to civilian life had simplified matters considerable for him, leaving only a handful to approach before his departure. He spoke to them briskly, quietly, and none had the heart to protest.

It wasn’t death, after all, yet, it wasn’t life either. Sleep was the respite his weary soul yearned for, deep and eternal. It sounded peaceful, and painless, like a dream. An ironic concept considering how he already felt severed from the world, his journey akin to sleep walking home, time unreal, a blur.

Zenyatta’s presence bewildered many at the temple. To the new generations, Zenyatta and their former leader Mondatta had become more like legends than actual beings, unseen but well known and distantly admired. They listened to his quiet request, the desire for a sanctuary in which to slip away from time, and considered it with uncertainty. However, they realized it was the least they could do. After all, in the end, it where they all belonged, in the arms of the Iris, the haven where they had met and blossomed together.

It was in a dusty, isolated room, deep in the sanctum, that he revisited the last of his memories, where he at last allowed himself a touch of open grief. Staring at nothing, the omnic might've mistaken that he was at Genji's side once more, holding his hand in both of his as if it were his own life line, as if his grip alone would keep him anchored. Yet, he knew his dragonheart had passed in peace, smiling as the traces of Zenyatta's farewell kiss still danced across his skin.

There, just like Genji, he at last slipped away into solitude, dreaming of those he once knew.

 

* * *

 

  

Hours passed, then days, weeks, and months. They stretched on and melded together. Those months became years and gathered into decades. Countless times, the sun rose and set, a constant wand of light and darkness beyond his awareness. Yet, he remained safe, cut off from the outside world.

Distantly, something changed without warning. Footstep broke the silence, a presence in his solitude. He had no idea why. Many had passed by his sanctuary, no doubt, and yet…

“Is this him?”

“Indeed. He has slept here for many years, after losing his beloved.”

“…Leave us, please.”

Why had this soul stirred his own, his core stuttering to life after years of barely functioning? He did not recognize anything about them, not their voice nor their manner of movement, but curiosity edged him closer to consciousness. It was their tentative touch that at last woke him.

“You're awake? I'm glad,” the stranger murmured, a touch wistful. “Perhaps you can feel it too.”

Systems slow from their hibernation, it was a struggle to bring the world back into focus. After a groggy minute, everything steadily swam into clarity once more, his arrays flickering in their electric blue. He glanced up, speechless from wonder.

“...It _is_ you, isn't it?” they continued, voice hushed as though the person was experiencing disbelief of their own. “The one I’ve been searching for…”

It was difficult to see his visitor’s face in such dim lighting, especially after such a long sleep. Nonetheless, something pulled him closer, a distant familiarity beyond mere appearance. Clumsily, Zenyatta attempted to move, his joints unused and stiff. Without a word, the stranger knelt before him, carefully offering his assistance.

“…I’m sorry. Do I know you?” the omnic finally managed, his synth slightly hoarse from disuse.

The other stiffened, seemingly bewildered by his voice. They then bowed their head, smiling faintly. “I don’t think you would. Yet, for some reason, I feel like _I_ know _you_ ,” they murmured with a strange certainty, as if they had rehearsed the words several times before, perhaps in preparation for this very moment. “You seem so familiar; my heart is racing with joy at the sight of you, the sound of your voice.”

“Oh…” Now that they mentioned it, Zenyatta realized his own ease, despite being in the presence of a strange human. “…And yet…you knew where to find me?”

They nodded, offering a quiet sound of affirmation as they successfully helped him to his knees. “…They…the monks told me of how you came to sleep here,” the human explained, seemingly sheepish now that the sheer strangeness of their presence had been touched upon. “I know it’s strange, but…Ever since I’ve known myself…I’ve felt…like I lost someone, that I left them behind…somewhere. My heart…I suppose, led me here, to you…”

It sounded like a fairytale of sorts. Yet, it felt…right. At last, Zenyatta managed to peer up at his guest, catch his eyes in the soft sunlight that fought its way to his chamber. What he saw left him dizzy with disbelief, striking him with the realization…

He knew this soul too.

“…Genji?” Stunned, the omnic ventured to stand, always with the stranger’s guidance.

“…Ah. I feel…like that is a name I haven’t been called in ages…” A strange distant glint came to their eyes then, as if remembering something they had once forgotten. “…But there was one thing I never forgot. My regret for leaving you behind. I am a new person now, meeting you once more. I am whole. I hope you can forgive me, Master.”

Surprise flickered across the features of his lover reborn, a hand shooting to his mouth. “I’m…I don’t know where that came from. I’m sorry if that wasn’t—”

Zenyatta didn’t give him a chance to finish, losing all restraint not to throw himself into his arms. “Genji…It _is_ you. I should’ve known,” he almost whimpered, overwhelmed with joy as the situation at last registered, burying his face plate in his chest, already familiarizing himself with his dragonheart’s new pulse. “I should’ve known you’d come back for me.”

For a long moment, Genji did nothing. Then, slowly, his arms encircled him tenderly. He rested his head against his, holding him as if he had never let him go.

“I’m here, my light. I’m here.”


End file.
